A large sea lion of the cold North Pacific. It catches fish and other prey at sea and rests ashore.
Adult males are larger than females, with a heavier neck and chest. The coat ranges from pale blond to reddish brown.
Steller sea lions gather in winter at Todo Iwa, a rocky haulout off Otaru, Hokkaido. From January through March in 2017–2019, a camera at the aquarium recorded the site around the clock from about 200 metres away. Numbers grew from evening into night, and many entered the sea in the morning.
When boats or people passed in front of the rock, or gunfire was heard, sea lions ashore woke together and fled to the water, vocalizing. The study recorded 38 boat-related entries into the sea in 2017, nine in 2018, and five in 2019. Few sea lions hauled out on days when snow or high waves covered the rocks. The longest continuous stays ashore were 104 hours in 2017, 94 in 2018, and 48 in 2019. The haulout lies beside Otaru’s herring fishing grounds, where sea lions and coastal work share the winter shore.
IUCN Red List · Near Threatened (NT) · Global
The IUCN global assessment lists Steller sea lions as Near Threatened (NT), assessed on 4 February 2016 and published in 2016. Japan’s Ministry of the Environment Red List 2020 lists the species as Vulnerable (VU). In the United States, NOAA lists the western population as Endangered under the Endangered Species Act and depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. These assessments cover different scopes: the global species, Japan’s list, and the U.S. western population.